You know that feeling where completely irrational partisanship takes over and you almost don’t even give a remake or, in this case, a collection of cover songs, a chance? This is an album that almost falls into that category.

It’s not that the band’s they’ve gotten together to contribute Muppet covers are all bad, per se (though some can definitely argue that), it’s that most, if not all, of these songs serve no purpose above [insert band] covering [insert song]. Most times that would be exactly what you want from an album of covers, but here it comes off as odd because, as much as I’m breaking every rule of being fair, I find myself going “this just doesn’t have the charm of a felt puppet with a weird voice singing it.”

Take the opening track, a cover of the theme from The Muppet Show by OK GO. It’s interesting; but It’s kind-of played too-dark and off-putting for a Muppet song. Or the misguided Weezer/Hayley Williams cover of Rainbow Connection, over-produced to the point of missing the mark; there was no need for a second vocalist and the autotune is dripping of both of them.

Again, I’m not saying you can’t enjoy these covers for what they are, but I’m saying not to expect anything that either blows you away or adds anything new and exciting to the Muppet music canon.

This week sees a run of light August releases (typical for this time of year) but not without two albums specifically that will bring the nostalgia-joy. Various artists, including Weezer, My Morning Jacket, and OK GO, have all recorded covers of some of the more popular Muppet songs from over the years. I’m convinced they either called it The Green Album because Weezer are on it or Weezer are only on it because it’s called The Green Album. The other album brings together two Alt icons from the 90s, Steven Malkmus (of Pavement) and Beck, who produced Malkmus’ new album Mirror Traffic.